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Nausheen Dadabhoy

History

Nausheen Dadabhoy, is a Pakistani-American director and cinematographer whose work spans fiction and documentary films. As a cinematographer her credits include LA FEMME ET LE TGV (2016), a live action short film Oscar nominee, Emmy winning ARMED WITH FAITH (2018), Emmy nominated NOT DONE: WOMEN REMAKING AMERICA (2020) and CONSCIENCE POINT (2019) which all aired nationally on PBS. Nausheen's films have screened at festivals worldwide including Sundance, TIFF, Tribeca, Locarno and have appeared on Netflix, HBO, Hulu and Showtime. THE GROUND BENEATH THEIR FEET (2014) — her directorial debut following two Pakistani women who were paralyzed after an earthquake — premiered at IDFA in the first appearance competition. Her second feature film, AN ACT OF WORSHIP, about the last 30 years of Muslim life in America premiered in competition at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and will air on POV. She is currently developing an iTVS funded short documentary entitled, HALAL BODIES, about how Muslim-American children learn about sex. Nausheen has been a Film Independent Project:Involve Fellow (2011), a Berlin Talents participant (2017), a Firelight Fellow (2018), a Chicken & Egg Eggcelerator Lab Fellow (2019), a newportFILM Documentary Cinematography Fellow (2019), a Soros Equality Fellow (2020) and she is currently a Pillars Artist Fellow (2022). She was part of DOCNYC’s inaugural “40 Under 40” which features the talented and diverse voices in documentary filmmaking today. In addition to her work as a filmmaker Nausheen also works as an educator. She was recently a lecturer at the University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and previously a visiting faculty member at Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology in Karachi, Pakistan. She has conducted workshops at SUNY Purchase, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Claremont McKenna College, and Bard College. She’s been a cinematography mentor for Re-Present Media and Chicken & Egg Pictures. Nausheen is based in NYC, Los Angeles and Karachi, Pakistan. She received her MFA in Cinematography from the American Film Institute Conservatory. When she’s not on set Nausheen can be found reading comics books or painting quotidian moments of life as a documentary cinematographer.

Movies

Nicholas Brothers: Stormy Weather

Nicholas Brothers: Stormy Weather

Director of Photography

In the 1940s, the Nicholas Brothers performed a dance routine so seminal it prefigured hip hop by three decades. Contemporary dancers Les Twins choreograph and perform their homage to the one and only duo.

An Act of Worship

An Act of Worship

Director of Photography

An Act of Worship is Pakistani-American filmmaker Nausheen Dadabhoy’s lyrical portrait of the last 20 years of Muslim Life in America as told through the lens of Muslims living in the United States.

An Act of Worship

An Act of Worship

Director

An Act of Worship is Pakistani-American filmmaker Nausheen Dadabhoy’s lyrical portrait of the last 20 years of Muslim Life in America as told through the lens of Muslims living in the United States.

Mickey: The Story of a Mouse

Mickey: The Story of a Mouse

Additional Director of Photography

Mickey Mouse is one of the most enduring symbols in our history. Those three simple circles take on meaning for virtually everyone on the planet. So ubiquitous in our lives that he can seem invisible, Mickey is something we all share, with unique memories and feelings. Over the course of his nearly century-long history, Mickey functions like a mirror, reflecting our personal and cultural values back at us. "Mickey: The Story of a Mouse" explores Mickey's significance, getting to the core of what Mickey's cultural impact says about each of us and about our world.

Through the Night

Through the Night

Director of Photography

When one’s sole focus is to provide for their children, the stakes are extremely high. The need for multiple jobs to make ends meet has become a common reality for many families in this country, which leads to a very important question: who looks after the children while their parents work? Through the Night examines the economic and emotional toll affecting some American families, told through the lens of a 24-hour daycare center in Westchester, New York. At the center of it all is Nunu, the primary caregiver and a hero to many families in need of a safe space to bring their children.

Not Done: Women Remaking America

Not Done: Women Remaking America

Director

"Not Done: Women Remaking America" chronicles the seismic eruption of women's organizing from the 2016 election through today, and the intersectional fight for equality that has now gone mainstream. Like the movement it documents, this story is told collectively: through the firsthand experiences and narratives of frontline activists, writers, celebrities, artists, and politicians who are remaking culture, policy, and most radically, our notions about gender. Premiering against the backdrop of an unprecedented pandemic and widespread social upheaval, "Not Done" shines a light on the next generation of feminists who are unafraid to take on complex problems and are leading the way to true equality.

Down a Dark Stairwell

Down a Dark Stairwell

Camera Operator

Set in motion by a tragic police-involved shooting, two communities of color navigate fraught perceptions of injustice, inequality, and discrimination in the eyes of the law.

Director of Photography

As sexy as it is smart, Naughty Books examines the steamy world of erotic romance, following three self-published authors who go from living at the margins to making millions by transforming their fantasies into best-selling fiction—and wrestling with the stark realities of what comes after sudden success.

Conscience Point

Conscience Point

Director of Photography

Exposing a painful, quintessentially American geography, CONSCIENCE POINT unearths a deep clash of values between the Native American Shinnecock and their elite Hamptons neighbors, who have made sacred land their playground.

The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion

The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion

Director of Photography

The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion highlights the hidden female figures that have curated and shaped hip-hop’s dynamic streetwear and ultimately swayed the entire fashion industry.

An Act of Worship

An Act of Worship

Director of Photography

The week after President Trump was inaugurated and the Muslim Travel ban become an Executive Order, director/cinematographer Nausheen Dadabhoy started documenting the protests breaking out at airports around the country. After making the nonfiction short “An Act of Worship,” filming continued as Dadabhoy and producer Sofian Khan Sprang expanded on their story of a new generation of female Muslim-American activists who emerged as Trump stoked the flames of Islamophobia.

An Act of Worship

An Act of Worship

Director

The week after President Trump was inaugurated and the Muslim Travel ban become an Executive Order, director/cinematographer Nausheen Dadabhoy started documenting the protests breaking out at airports around the country. After making the nonfiction short “An Act of Worship,” filming continued as Dadabhoy and producer Sofian Khan Sprang expanded on their story of a new generation of female Muslim-American activists who emerged as Trump stoked the flames of Islamophobia.

Cinematography

Asha and John have very different experiences looking for love.

The Ground Beneath Their Feet

The Ground Beneath Their Feet

Director

'The Ground Beneath Their Feet' tells the story of two young women who are paralyzed when a devastating earthquake strikes the north of Pakistan. Ruqiya and Khalida have not only lost the use of their legs, but also their place in society as their disability will not allow them to fulfill their culture role of becoming wives and mothers. What does this mean for their future? We follow their journey over the course of fives years as they struggle with their physical and emotional recovery, and reexamine what it means to be a woman in the Muslim world.

Josh: Independence Through Unity

Josh: Independence Through Unity

Director of Photography

Fatima, a teacher living her elite life in Karachi, shattered, when her nanny Nusrat, inexplicably disappears. Fatima travels to investigate her disappearance and finds a dangerous truth about Nusrat and her village.

Director of Photography

For the past 40 years, a group of comedy writers and directors has gathered every other Wednesday for lunch - and other nourishment. These are the fabled guys that made America funny.